Willy Fritsch ~ Fritsch studied drama under Max Reinhardt and entered the German film industry in the early-1920s. He became a highly popular star of light operettas and romances often opposite Lilian Harvey or Käthe von Nagy. Fritch kept working right through the Nazi domination of the German cinema averaging about one film a year including Vienna Blood (1942) and The Bat (1945). As easily as he had worked under the Nazis, Fritch continued acting in occupied Germany and then West Germany until retiring in 1964.

This is a nice large format cigarette card from Lloyd Cigarettes. It was published in 1936 as part of their Bunte Filmbilder series one. It is card #58. Size: just over 2¼" x 2¾" (slightly smaller that a US baseball card). The edges are gilt and showing slight wear. Overall the condition is very fine.

This lot consists of a genuine German cigarette premium issued between about 1930 and 1937. In general, German cigarette cards and premiums make an interesting and inexpensive addition to any collection. The Nazi government of Germany opposed smoking and eventually put an end to cigarette cards. As a result, the native German card collecting hobby never developed to the extent of that in Britain or the United States. As a result, most German premiums and cards cost only a fraction of what might be expected from their American and British cousins.

Large photos are shown smaller than actual size while small ones are generally enlarged to as much as twice their original size. Almost all photos and cards are scanned through protective sleeves or pages which tends to cut the clarity a bit. Enlarged defects tend to look worse than they actually are.